Using geothermal energy for the climate-neutral production of vegetables: TUD scientists are testing innovative technology

Over the next two years, researchers at TU Dresden will be testing a technology concept they have developed together with their practice partner, Doppelacker GmbH. This technology harnesses heat and cold from the ground of agricultural land in order to supply energy. An investor from the Oderbruch region who wishes to convert his horticultural business from gas to geothermal energy is making his land available, so that agrothermal energy can be tested on an industrial scale for the first time. In this way, the technology could in future reduce or completely replace the use of fossil fuels in the heating and cooling sector – a crucial step on the way to renewable heat sources and, as such, to the transition to green energy.

Scientists at TUD are testing innovative geothermal technology for the cultivation of vegetables on an industrial scale

The Chair of Agricultural Systems Technology at TU Dresden has been researching and working on the implementation of this technology concept for utilizing agrothermal energy since 2008. Employing a patented in-house development created by the Dresden scientists and the Doppelacker team, ground collector pipes are laid into the soil at a depth of 2 meters. Depending on the time of year, the ground temperature there ranges from 5 to 15 degrees Celsius. The collectors serve as heat exchangers and feed the extracted geothermal energy into the cold heat network. Via connected heat pumps, the network can be either heated or cooled. The collectors are situated far below the root depth of arable crops cultivated there, so collisions with soil cultivation machinery are not possible. This means agricultural land can still be cultivated despite the energy being generated from the ground.

“Using two pilot facilities, we were able to demonstrate the marketability of the technology, both in terms of its energy efficiency and its cost-effectiveness in operation,” explains André Grosa, project manager at TU Dresden. “The technology for utilizing geothermal energy has been available since last year. Our next goal is industrial maturity. In order to achieve that, we urgently need a living lab facility on an industrial scale, where we can validate and monitor all functional areas during regular operation. We are delighted we now have the opportunity to build a cold heat network for climate-neutral regional vegetable production in the Oderbruch region,” Grosa adds. The supply of heat and cold for the production of vegetables in a new greenhouse of 52,000 square meters and for the operation of a logistics hall will be provided entirely by geothermal energy, via heat pumps and refrigeration machines. To this end, 170,000 square meters of ground collectors will be installed.

Geothermal energy is available everywhere. The technical prerequisites for construction are in place. The technology concept provides a promising and sustainable solution that not only changes the energy source, but also switches the operating mode to the use of geothermal energy – for heating, cooling and dehumidification. It now only remains for the legal foundations to be laid to establish the technology in Germany. We aim at enabling a large-scale supply of cold and heat by means of large-scale geothermal exploitation, thereby saving heating oil or gas and, as a result, carbon dioxide,” emphasizes Jens Kluge, Managing Director of Doppelacker GmbH.

By operating this larger facility, we intend to gain further experience that is applicable for industrial purposes, so that we understand the capabilities of the system even better. The project also focuses on the scientific evaluation of the technology’s impact and its effects on the environment.

Contact:

André Grosa
TU Dresden
Chair of Agricultural Systems Technology
Tel.: +49 351 463 32832
Mail:

Jens Kluge
Doppelacker GmbH
Tel.: +49 33439 143839
Mail: